Maui Day 7 - June 19

Last day! Both sad, but kind of good because I woke up feeling sick (probably from lack of sleep and too much sun). I got up and packed and repacked, got ready and checked out by 10am with my key so I could get my $10 key deposit back (which paid for my day pass bus ticket and poke - Hawaiian fish served raw over rice - dinner). As it was my last day I had to have pancakes (but don't need to see them again for some time) with fresh mango, and then Kelsey, Eva, and I bussed to Lahaina for the day. They rented surf boards from Boss Frogs, and we headed to the beach. I mostly swam and sat in the sun - the waves were a little too intense for me to go as far out as they had to go to catch waves.

I went back into town and did some more shopping, and then caught the bus back to the hostel and repacked, showered and caught two busses to the airport for my 10:45pm flight. 5.5 hours later it was 7:30am in Vancouver and now I am home and well rested once again. Maui had never been on my list of places to visit, but what a beautiful island with so much to see. I definitely recommend it and (product placement) staying at Banana Bungalow! Make sure to pack lots of sunscreen, flip flops, light clothing and your sense of adventure! Thanks for reading my latest tales of my brief visit to Hawaii. Mahalo!

Maui Day 6 - June 18

Entrance to Bamboo Forest

Road to Hana. Many, many miles of winding switchback roads along the coast to Hana. Another long but amazing day. I didn't think anything could amaze me as much as Haleakala, but this trip did!

Banyan Tree on the way to Bamboo Forest

We left at 8:30am and didn't get back until about 9pm. Thank God for ginger chews, open windows and being close to the front! It was such a windy road of one lane bridges and roads so narrow that drivers had to honk their horns before turning corners. At one point our driver honked her horn and started to go around a corner, but a semi truck didn't hear us or didn't care and came barrelling around the corner and made us back out so he could get through.

Beautiful views of waterfalls and ocean and rainforest all along the drive. We stopped at a Banana Bread Stand (there are many along the road but apparently this one is the best) and saw a dolphin jumping out of the water. I totally thought it was a giant fish at first. Our first beach stop was Wai'anapanapa Park, which had a black sand beach and caves with pools of water. You could swim under into other caves and there was a tunnel we tried to swim along, but it was so dark that we couldn't see.

 

 

Along the road further we stopped at one of the waterfalls for a quick dip and some pictures. I totally bailed on my elbow on the way out, but it just joined my other cuts from the trip. Then we went for lunch at a Fish Stand, but I didn't partake as I still had my banana loaf, and didn't want to tempt my stomach with all the driving we were doing.

The next beach was Hamoa (nicknamed Peppercorn by the locals for the mix of black and white sand) where Kelsey (from Toronto who arrived the same day as me) climbed a fairly tall coconut tree and picked a coconut! She's pretty intense. She got down and banged it against a rock until it opened and we drank the young fruit's juice.

 

Our last stop of the day was to hike through a bamboo forest to a super tall waterfall. We were warned not to go close to the falls because the water is so high up that if a small rock fell from the top and hit you it could kill you! About 2 miles each way, the bamboo is so thick that it is dark while you are walking along the wooden walkways through it. The photos of the area definitely don't do it justice.

Then we walked back through streams and the bamboo to rejoin the rest of the group, some who went to swim in the seven sacred pools, (which is usually closed but they were deep/shallow enough to be safe) stopped for groceries and went back to the hostel. It was a long day and I was tired, but as it was my last night I stayed up late visiting with everyone.

Maui Day 5 - June 17

I decided to skip the tour because I was feeling a bit sore and the tour the following day to Hana was said to be very good (which it was) so I wanted to make sure I could sign up for it. After everyone leaves for the tour of the day the hostel puts the sign up sheet for the next day up.

Lynn from Dallas/Honolulu and I caught a bus to Lahaina (the Wednesday tour that I would miss as it was my last day) to go swimming and see the town. There isn't a huge bus service on Maui, but taking transit is pretty easy. We caught a transfer at the Wharf Cinema Center (mall) in Lahaina to Ka'anapali Whalers Village. The beach was near a resort and a fancy shopping area with Louis Vuitton, etc. but they also had the self-serve frozen yogurt with a bunch of tasty tropical flavours.

We bussed back to Lahaina and saw the biggest Banyan tree (in the world, I think) that was planted in 1873! We also did some shopping and then went back to the hostel for another pasta dinner and hang out.

Maui Day 4 - June 16

Today was Sunday and a rest day. The tour (all free just kindly tip your driver/guide) today was just to go to Makela Big and Little Beaches, which didn't start until 1pm, so everyone could rest from the hike the day before and take it easy in the morning. My body wasn't feeling sore (my calves definitely hurt the next day) so I walked to a nearby waterfall and went for a dip with a few people.

Entrance to Little Beach

Leaving for the day we stopped at Safeway to grab food and then drove to the beach. Everyone decided to go straight to the Little Beach (clothing optional) and a huge group of us set up our towels together. We didn't leave until about 8pm, so we had the whole day to swim and suntan, listen and join in with the drumming circle, and enjoy the day.

When we returned to the hostel we sat in the hot tub and a bunch of us had our hopes dashed with dreams of cheese pizza, so we walked to the Chevron close by and got snacks there. I very much like the Peace Iced Tea they have in the US. And the gas station sold fruit by the foot (candy snack from elementary school years)!

Maui Day 3 - June 15

This was one of my favourite days. I had stayed up too late the night before and woke up at 6am again, so I wasn't feeling great on about 4 hours of sleep but man what a good day!

We left at about 9:30am, stopped to get more food and water and then drove up to the summit of the Haleakala ("House of the Sun") dormant volcano. Over 10,000 feet high, this National Park has some native Hawaiian species seen nowhere else; silversword plants and Nene birds (descended from our Canadian Geese).

 

We were dropped off at the beginning of the 12-mile (about 20kms) hike, our two guides drove the two 12-seater vans to the end of the hike and hitched back to us and we headed down into the volcano. The long, steep decline had sandy soil that your feet slip into, and then you continue on mostly flat ground for many miles before the 2+ mile razorback incline into the clouds. The view from the top and all along the hike was like nothing else. I felt like I had been to Mars, with the volcanic craters and rocks inside. Then you hike up into the mist at the end, and feel like you are never going to get to the top. Me and Drew from Seattle were each other's motivational support all the way to the top. Everyone finished within a few minutes of each other, and we completed the hike in about 5.5 hours. Pretty impressive!

Then we rested and got back into the vans to drive to the top again and watch the sunset. Bright red/orange/yellow as the sun dipped into the clouds (we were that high up!). Then our driver Marcus drove us back down the windy road to the hostel where I made white bean/tomato/avocado/onion pasta and went straight to sleep. I've included a bunch of photos, but none of them really capture what it's like the be there!

 

 

It is very cold at the top when the sun is setting



Razorbacks. We had to hike this at the end!

Celebratory picture after making it up hill in last photo. Halfway done hike!

This guy did the entire hike in flip flops. I would not advise this.

 

 

Maui Day 2 - June 14

I'm not sure if it was the time change or heat, but no matter when I went to sleep, I usually woke up at 6am. I could get up and have a shower without waiting in line, which was nice, but nothing really happened until the kitchen opened at 8am. Then everyone is together making pancakes (there is free pancake mix provided by the hostel) and chatting about the tour that day and whether they are going or not.

I signed up for the Friday tour, which was going to a bunch of beaches and then into a small, hippie town called Paia. Before and after Paia we stopped at Kanaha and Hokiepa beaches, saw kite surfers and played volleyball. At the first beach we stopped, Eva and I discovered these wooden poles that used to be part of a house's foundation that had graffiti painted on them.

 

In Paia we went to the Fish Market Restaurant, which always has a line, and I had this amazing fish burger. Then we poked around the different shops and got  some souvenirs before going to watch some kite surfers. The best part of that beach was the piles of huge turtles swimming up near the rocks where we were sitting. Back at the hostel for Friday free keg night, hanging out with everyone and playing games.

Maui Day 1 - June 13

I got in too late my first night to sign up for the first tour, which was going snorkeling with turtles, (which I really wanted to do) but a couple from Winnipeg, Erin and Brandon, had rented a car for their stay, so a bunch of us (I won't say how many) piled into the back seats of their Impala and off we went. We drove to Snorkel Bob's in Kihei, rented some masks and flippers, and went to a nearby beach. Even though there are lots of hotels and resorts along the water, apparently no one can have private beaches in Hawaii, so you can go to any area you want.

The beach we went to was amazing. Hot golden sand and a beautiful reef where I saw a bunch of tropical fish and one turtle! I got so excited that I smiled, which gets water into everywhere, so I had to go up for air and when I went down again, the turtle was gone. It's also easy to be focused under water and come up only to realize you are pretty far out. But looking down and seeing the coral and fish was so surreal, like gazing into an aquarium.

After a couple hours on the beach we went for happy hour at a restaurant, which had $3 drinks and delicious sushi for $4. We returned the gear and then went for groceries at Foodland. Man stuff is expensive! I bought a box of pasta that I could mix with beans/vegetables/whatever for the week and then a bunch of fruit. Papaya, pineapple, mango! Strangely the local fruit and food was more expensive, but the fruit was so tasty!

Papaya

It was nice to be back at the hostel before the tour, because we could use the showers and kitchen before everyone else. There are 5 private showers, 1 communal washroom/showers and the kitchen is open to everyone from 8am-10pm with 3 fridges and 2 stoves. The outdoor area is nice and open too, with a BBQ, hot tub, a bunch of picnic and other tables where everyone cooks and eats and hangs out together.